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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Dent. Med
Sec. Aging and Dental Medicine
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fdmed.2024.1427597
This article is part of the Research Topic Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations View all articles

Investigating Tooth Morbidity Risks, Prevalence, and Interventions in Tribal Setting: A Study Protocol Focused on the Irula Community in Tamil Nadu

Provisionally accepted
Margret Beaula Alocious Sukumar Margret Beaula Alocious Sukumar Alex Joseph Alex Joseph *
  • School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Dentistry is uniquely positioned as a healthcare profession, distinguished from allied health or paramedical fields. It operates within a university-based structure, maintaining primary care responsibilities. Oral diseases impose a substantial worldwide health and economic burden, profoundly affecting the well-being of those affected. This cross-sectional study is centered on the Irula tribes in Tamil Nadu, India. Investigating the extent of tooth morbidity and loss, identifying possible risk factors, looking at oral hygiene habits, and evaluating the oral health-associated quality of life (OHRQoL) in this population are the main goals. As this population is at high risk for dental issues, promoting good oral hygiene becomes crucial.Indigenous populations, including the Irula tribes, have been underrepresented in research studies. The vulnerability of the Irula tribes is exacerbated by their remote locations, resulting in limited access to fundamental healthcare facilities.This study employs a cluster sampling approach, aiming to include 880 individuals aged 60 and above from Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts. The methodology encompasses a community-based questionnaire, clinical assessments utilizing standardized indices, and the assessment of the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). The Statistical Package for Social Services, version 20, will be used to analyze all of the data that has been gathered (SPSS).Categorical variables will undergo analysis, with descriptive statistics and frequency percentages computed. CONCLUSION: This study evaluates tooth morbidity and dentistry's role in screening chronic diseases like diabetes among the Irula tribes. It explores risk factors, oral hygiene practices, treatment seeking behavior, and oral health-related quality of life to gain a comprehensive understanding.

    Keywords: caries, Periodontitis, Quality of Life, Tooth Morbidity, Elderly and Tribal

    Received: 04 May 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Beaula Alocious Sukumar and Joseph. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Alex Joseph, School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India

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